Shield: Agent of Swords
by Reagonally
Summary: Avalon has been with Shield for about a year and has already joined the Avengers. While adjusting to being on a team, she finds out that one of the teammates does not trust her. Will that lead to her ultimate demise or will they become friends? Will Avalon become a hero to the world or will the Avengers turn her into a villain?
1. Chapter 1

**Set towards the end of Captain America:The Winter Soldier. Italics are the thoughts. There is language. This is my first fanfiction and I would appreciate it if you would be so kind to tell me about both: what I am good at and what I need to improve upon. I would also like to know if I should continue on with this story or not.**

My day started out like normal: got Starbucks, got donuts, and headed towards Shield headquarters. I parked my motorcycle and headed through the glass, double doors. I went to my office which was on the top floor of the super-secret base and sat down at my desk. I had only worked at S.H.I.E.L.D for about a year or so now. I enjoyed working for them and doing my job. The few coworkers I talked to were better than some of my previous ones. I began to work on files, figuring out ways to defeat Hydra once and for all, and tried to hack into websites and files they might have been using. With no luck what-so-ever, I got up from my desk and I began to pace back and forth with my hands behind my back. _What could they be up to?_ I thought.

Suddenly, the lights started flashing red and sirens go off. We have been breached by no other, Hydra themselves. A person who I thought was a pretty nice guy began to give us orders to use our own weapons against ourselves and the innocent citizens nearby. He was holding a rifle and he had two handguns in his holsters which was located on both his left and right sides. It was automatically established that he would shoot and kill any who defied his orders. A few others were holding weapons like him to initiate dominance and made themselves known as loyal Hydra agents. I could not- I would not stand for this.

I quickly ran to the wall behind my desk, grabbed the two long, double-edged swords, and ran towards one of the Hydra agents that was only a few feet away and ran her through. She cried as she fell to the floor, making everyone aware that she was stabbed. They ran towards me, shooting. I deflected them with my swords, but I was not able to slash any enemies. The Shield agents however, shot down and killed the Hydra agents before they could do much damage to my swords, the building, and me. I made sure that everybody was ok.

I went back to my office and grabbed my sword and knife holsters and put it on. It made an "x" shape across my back and front. The front held twelve sharpened knives and throwing stars and the back was where I put my double-edged swords. I made made way throughout the building, slaying any obvious Hydra agents I could find. I was not going to let Hydra ruin my life again.

I received a message on my phone saying, "Operation: Swordmaster. Destroy enemy ballistae located at the corners of the Manhattan." I assumed that there were more ballistae in other places and figured that Iron Man and the others would take care of them. I ran outside and drove to the first ballista which was only a few miles away.

It was massive- about the size of a parking lot, but as tall as a New York apartment building- and it wasn't like the ones hundreds of years ago. No. It was more modern with advanced technology improving its speed, range, and area of effect. Instead of spears or rocks, it launched bombs of some kind, probably nuclear. They were in the middle of prepping it as I drove by, scanning the area. By some luck, they did not notice me. I grabbed a handful of throwing stars and threw them stealthily at people who would not be missed or seen. Most of them were guards. Terrible guards, but guards. That left very few of them, but many builders and technicians.

 _Crap. How am I going to do this? Do I need back up? No, there isn't that much time left before they are done setting it up._ I finally came up with a plan after a few quick moments of thinking. _This is going to be insane, but I don't have much choice._ I revved the motor and pressed hard on the accelerator. I went flying towards the ballista, throwing stars with one hand at Hydra workers and guards while steering with the other. I had a wild grin on my face which could only mean trouble for everyone but me. After a few minutes, everybody was lying on the asphalt, dead or bleeding out.

I got off my motorcycle and walked over to the control panel. It was confusing, because I didn't understand a damn thing. There were so many buttons and levers. They were all labeled in a language I did not know. _Aw, fuck._ must have changed their system. So, I pressed random buttons and hoped that it would not launch something. With my luck, it would. It moved around a bit until I somehow hit the right button. "SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. SELF DESTRUCT IN TEN SECONDS." Oh shit. "EIGHT. "I ran as quickly as I could back to my motorcycle. SIX. For once in my life, I was thankful for my terrible memory as I did not have to turn on the vehicle since it was already set to go. "FOUR." I went as fast as I could away from what was going to explode. "TWO. ONE. ZERO." BOOM! I just barely made it and I was happy to know that the area was already evacuated.

I stopped to catch my breath. I received a text message saying, "One down. Three to go." Ugh. _They get news fast._ "We would've sent backup, but we need everybody, but you, to stay behind and protect what information we can and to disarm the weapons they have in the air. Besides, knowing how great of an agent you are, you probably wouldn't have needed the backup." _It would have been nice though._ "We have sent you a link of a map showing where the three other ballistae are. You might even have help this time. Just try and work with them." _Ugh. Great. People. Yay._

I went to the next location and saw that this dude with a bow was there. _A bow? Seriously? I guess I don't have much room to talk._ He was getting rid of some of the agents while on top of a nearby building. My earpiece got patched in with his and then I heard his voice inside one of my pockets. "Finally, they decide to send help. I didn't really feel like taking all the fun by doing this by myself." I put the earpiece on my left ear.

I wasn't sure what to say.

"They told me you were a quiet one. Swords and arrows should do the trick in getting rid of the guys, but I don't think it will get rid of the catapult-thingy. Hulk is currently taking care of the biggest one in the center of the city. I'm Hawkeye, by the way," the voice in my ear said.

"Swordmaster," I said. "You may call me Swordmaster. I believe we have a job to do and I would like to be doing it." My voice cracked out of nervousness.

"Very well then. Follow the dead-Shit!" Somebody must have noticed that half their people were dead and found out where Hawkeye was nesting.

"You still alive?" I asked while turning off my bike and hiding it somewhere where it would not get harmed. It was the only vehicle I owned and I was not about to lose it.

"Yeah. I dodged right in time. I should be ok, but- uh- could you take them out for me?"

"Like on a date? I know a really great place to take them," I responded, instantly regretting what I had said. I face-palmed.

"Uh-huh. Very funny. Tony would like you."

 _I doubt it, but it is a nice thought._ I had only five throwing stars left to use against about twenty guys. _How hard could that be, right?_ I threw one, not intending on kill anybody this time but to distract them. It sliced very lightly on the back of a few necks. It got their attention and they began shooting at me.

"I said to kill them, not have them start shooting at you," Hawkeye said, annoyed.

"I just realized I had five- now four- throwing stars and no knives left," I yelled over the sound of gunfire. "Just sneak to where I am at, but be inside the building on my right. Inside there is my motorcycle you may BORROW. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES DESTROY IT, SCRATCH IT UP, OR BLOW IT UP. UNDERSTAND?"

"Yes…"

"You will need it. Then, sneak off with it and go to the control panel on the ballista. Keep the bike alive and running and hope they don't hear it. Then press the top left button on the corner of the panel, get on the bike, and drive as quickly as possible away. The ballista will explode in ten seconds when you press the button," I explained.

"What about you?" he concerned.

"Don't worry about me. I'll find a way to get away from the explosion."

He did as he was told. The Hydra men were distracted and confused as to why a female voice was talking about self-destruction, so I ran down the road in the opposite direction. I hid behind a building a few yards down the road. It finally hit them when it was too late when the female voice said, "ONE."

"You still there?" I asked Hawkeye.

"Yeah. Turns out they scrapped me with a few bullets while I was up there. I should be fine though. I am coming back to get you, so don't freak out." I heard the sounds of the motor running in the background.

Within a minute, he had returned and I was happy to see that my motorcycle was unharmed. We headed to the third ballista.

The ballista was located in the very middle of a popular park where, on a normal day, people would jog, walk their dogs, and just hang out. Nobody on our side was there, but many Hydra agents were. I only had four stars left; Hawkeye still had a nearly full quiver. He must have retrieved some of them when he could. I wish I had thought of that. I looked around and was disappointed that they couldn't just blow themselves up and make my job a bit easier. _Looks like I won't be doing much from afar._ He parked the motorcycle at a safe distance away and we walked towards the ballista. He mentioned, "I think I will stay on the ground this time. Uh. Change of pace."

"Alright. I'll distract; you shoot," I rolled my eyes, smiling.

I snuck around to the other side of the area and threw a star at the control panel. The guys that were working the panel were really confused and looked at the direction it came from, but by the time they looked, I was gone. They left the panel and walked with a few armed guards to where I once stood behind a tree. A few arrows hit them in their skulls and they dropped dead behind the tree where they would not be noticed. There were a few more guys far behind the corpses, but they did not notice. There was plenty more people in front of the ballista.

I went around to the front end of the ballista, hid behind another tree, and threw a star at one of the center guys. It hit his shin and he cried as he fell onto his knees. That really got everyone's attention. Everybody started to run in my general direction. They did not fire any bullets until one pointed directly at me and yelled, "There!" I ran off, zig-zagging away. Hawkeye began shooting at the faster runners, trying to slow them down a bit and help me out. There were too many guys and not enough arrows. He eventually ran out, but there was a somewhat small group left standing. I stopped running around like a chicken with its head cut off and drew my swords. I turned around and gutted a few with my right sword while slicing a few others heads off with my left sword. It was a bloody mess, but it got the job done. Nobody was left standing after that. _I feel bad for whoever has to clean all of this up._

After he retrieved a few arrows, Hawkeye ran back and got the motorcycle. He parked it right next to the control panel and motioned for me to get on the back. I got on. "You ready?" he asked with his pointer finger hovering over the button.

"As I'll ever be," I responded.

He pressed the button and we sped off to the last ballista. We heard yelling and growling coming closer as we were almost to our final destination.

"Sounds like Hulk is here for the last one," said Hawkeye while looking in the general direction to where the sounds was coming from.

This ballista made the others look like the size of peanuts. It was about the size of a very small town. "How the hell did they find enough space for this?" I asked.

"Probably had to tear a few buildings down. Hopefully nothing too important."

Then I saw and heard Hulk roaring and wished that I had earplugs. "He looks smaller and less scary on TV," I confessed.

"Oh, don't worry about him. Just keep out of his way and you should be fine. He knows what he is doing." he assured me. Apparently he did. The agents shot at Hulk, but it seemed more like they were tickling Hulk rather than harming him. He just grabbed at pieces of the ballista and ripped them off as if it was made of paper. We got off of my motorcycle. Hawkeye observed Hulk, "Looks like he is doing a pretty good job of destroying that thing. I think we should just get rid of the Hydra guys and he'll do everything else."

We headed in opposite directions. He went to the side; I went to the other and got rid of as many guys as I could. After I made a full lap around the contraption, Hulk nearly stepped on me by accident. He didn't notice, but I did last minute. I ducked and front rolled out of the way. When I was finished rolling, I stabbed a few guys in the shins and finished them off. We won the battle in about a half-hour and we did not have to press the self-destruct button thankfully.

"Thanks Hulk!" Hawkeye shouted as he reached in his back pocket to get some cloth to polish his bow. While polishing his bow, he turned to me. "I would like to believe we are done here. I have a wife and kids to get back to," he muttered to me.

"That's nice," I muttered. I studied my feet, hoping that the awkwardness would go away soon. I was not sure what to do now that we were (hopefully) done. I was unsure of how to carry a conversation or what to do after the fight was finished.

The Hulk was gone and in his place was the scientist, Bruce Banner. He walked over to us. I was happy to see that he was wearing pants. "So… Is that it?" he asked.

Hawkeye yawned, "Hope so. I need a nap… And a sandwich."

Bruce looked over at me. "I'm Bruce Banner."

"I'm Avalon Vivienne Pendragon." We shook hands. "So… Hawkeye-"

"You can call me Clint to my face, but over the earpieces call me Hawkeye. I will do the same to you. I will call you Swordmaster over the earpieces, but I will call you Avalon or Agent Pendragon to your face most of the time."

"Alrighty then."

Then an expensive sports car -possibly a Ferrari or something- was driving towards us. "I think our ride is here," Bruce observed.

Out came the genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist Tony Stark- Aka Iron Man- himself walking towards us. "Need a ride?" he mused, looking down at me. I was only a couple of inches shorter than him. I tried to hide behind either Bruce or Clint, but it didn't work. "Don't worry. I don't bite- unless you want me to."

"Don't mind him. He hits on everyone," comforted Clint.

"You need a ride?" Tony asked again.

"No, I have my motorcycle. Thanks anyway."

We all said our byes as they walked back towards their car. I straddled my bike and headed back to the base. Buildings passed by and so did miles after miles of empty paved roads. It was beginning to get dark after a while and the residents started to return to the safety of their own homes. Cleanup crews got right onto cleaning up the streets from destroyed ballistae and dead people. I had strange feeling that they weren't quite out of danger yet.

After a while, I arrived back at the base. We were still under siege. I quickly learned from the chaos of Hydra agents that Captain America was on board one of their aircrafts that was supposed to kill everybody. He had only one to go when I learned this, but when I killed a few enemy agents and arrived at the control room he already took it out. He was being attacked by somebody called the Winter Soldier. Cap refused to fight him, because I guess at one point in time they were friends. He kept calling him "Bucky". _What kind of name is "Bucky"?_ I thought.

The control room was huge and filled with desks and computers. Every computer had somebody in front of it. Where there was supposed to be a wall was a screen that showed live videos of the aircrafts owned by Hydra.

I heard Cap's voice say, "I am not gonna fight you, Buck. You're my friend." THUD. I assumed that he dropped his famous shield since there was no video, just sound.

"NO, I AM NOT!" Bucky yelled. "YOU'RE MY MISSION! YOU'RE," BAM! "MY," BAM! "MISSION!" BAM!

Cap spoke so softly that I could just barely make out his voice, "Then why don't you finish it?"

Then dead air. Nobody heard anything after that. The aircraft exploded. We assumed the worst, but Coulson sent someone to go check out where it landed. He then walked over to me and told me that I have done enough and that I should get some rest. I went back up to my office, threw away all of my trash, and put my swords and holsters back where they belonged. After hanging around the base for a bit, I decided it was time to head home.

That night I discovered I lived in the same apartment building as Captain America. He was the talk of the whole building. I was pretty stoked about that. He was only one of the most heroic people out there.

I lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in a small apartment; however, it was pretty modern. Everything was not too old, but not too new. Everything worked like it should. Lots of blacks, whites, and specks of other colors which made it feel rather comfy but sophisticated at the same time. Usually I was pretty good about keeping everything clean and in order, but the whole place was cluttered with books. The rent wasn't ridiculously priced, which was my favorite part.

I was very pleased to learn that the place accepted pets when I first moved in. The very moment I knew I could get a pet, I got my best friend Jadzia Dax (an adorable baby Rottweiler) at a rescue center. I loved her and knew I would get her the moment I saw her. She was one of the lucky ones. They found her down at Texas in an area where there was a bunch of dog fights between gangs. She was never in one of the fights according to the rescue people. She was so sweet and such a goofball when I got her.

I went to the bathroom to patch myself up and then walked into the living room. I sat down on the couch and she ran over and tried to jump on the couch, but I had to lift her. I put my arm around her as I watched reruns of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on my flatscreen tv. She had a big, ol' grin on her face and then she passed out a few minutes later. Then after a few episodes, I fell asleep. I dreamed. Hydra. Slashing. Pain. Torture. My parents.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up with sweat running down my forehead. Damn nightmares. It was morning, just before my phone alarm was about to go off to get up for work. What timing. Jadzia was eating out of her bowl and was pushing it further against a wall. I walked over to the kitchen, grabbed some cereal, and ate quickly. I went to the bathroom, used the shower, and looked into the mirror. My blue eyes stared back. Those blue eyes saw a very scared person in the reflection. The memories and the nightmares kept flashing before my eyes. This had not happened for a long time and I wondered why I was remembering all of this now. I finished drying my hair and pushed those thoughts aside.

I then went to my bedroom. I put on skinny jeans, a black tank top with angel wings on the back, and red platform, steel-toed boots. I hugged and kissed Jadzia, "I'm gonna miss you as always. I love you Daxy." She licked my face and wagged her tail. I got up, grabbed my leather jacket, and left for work.

When I got to work, I was told that they found Cap alive and that they found footprints heading away from where he laid. I did my usual routine for a while until Phil Coulson came to my office. "Come with me," he began, "There are some people who I would like for you to meet."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Who? Why?" I questioned. "Should I be concerned?"

Coulson laughed, "You will see and no." We stepped into the elevator and he pushed the button for B5.

Confused, I mumbled, "I have never been past the main floor. Let alone B5."

"Well," he explained, "I figured it was time for you to level up. You can get more information than you already have now. I trust you Pendragon. I believe you have more to offer than just hacking and the occasional, only-slightly-dangerous mission. That is why you were sent out to get rid of the ballistae."

"It was a test."

"Yes, the first one was to see what you could do and the rest was to see if you could work as a team with others. I am pleased to say that you passed."

I tensed up and rubbed my right arm. "So, I am going to join a team?"

"Like I said, I trust you. I think you will make a great addition. There is nothing to worry about. People like you, Avalon, whether you believe it or not." The elevator stopped and the doors opened. He led me down the hall into a large room where I assumed meetings were held. Unlike Coulson, I stopped in front of the doorway and gaped. Sitting in the chairs were the Avengers: Natasha, Bruce, Tony, Clint, Sam, and Rhodey, Thor, and Steve (who I was surprised to see alive and well). Coulson beamed at everybody (mostly Steve). "I think you already know who this is," he announced and gestured towards me. Coulson looked at me and motioned for me to leave the entryway.

"Um, Hi?" I said awkwardly as I stepped into the light. I tried to look at them but I spent most of my time looking around them and at the floor. _Quit being so awkward, Avalon! Wait, why am I referring to myself in third-person?_

"Hello, Dragon of Pen! What a pleasure it is to meet a swordsman in this day and age!" Thor grinned. I was very intimidated by how tall he was and how huge his muscles were. He could step on me and crush me very easily and his muscles are bigger than my head. _I will try to not piss him off._

Tony mused, "If I had known you were named Avalon Pendragon and into sword fighting, then I would've tried some of my older stuff on you."

"Come on, Tony. Give her a break. She's new," Steve protested.

"Play nice boys," Natasha warned. The room went went silent and I didn't like that I was in the spotlight.

Steve broke the silence, "I heard you are good with swords. Is that true?"

"I am decent. I trained for a while."

"What made you pick swords? Most people pick guns," Natasha questioned. She seemed like she was suspicious of me.

I jokingly lied, "I have always been interested in sword fighting. I guess I was destined to become a swordsman, because of what my parents named me." I sheepishly smiled.

"You are most welcome to train with me if you wish! Perhaps you will become known as the greatest of them all if you do!" Thor offered, excitedly.

I gave a slight nod and smiled again, "I would love to."

Tony clapped once to get everyone's attention and leaned back in his chair . "How about we all go and get Shawarma for lunch? It'll be on me."

"I hope he doesn't mean it literally," Sam joked.

Rhodey rolled his eyes, "Knowing him, he might."

Natasha drove both me and Steve to the restaurant and when we arrived, we sat down and ordered our food. This was my first time having Shawarma. I had no interest in it before, but I was willing to try new things to fit in with the team. When we got our food, I tried it out. It was disgusting; one of the worst things I had ever eaten. I forced myself to eat it though, since I felt it was rude to not eat what was going to be paid for by somebody else that you just met. Everybody was talking and joking around with each other. I just sat there and slowly ate.

I felt like I was being watched, but I was not certain who. I could feel their eyes piercing my skin. I looked around. The place was filled with people and I could not spot anybody looking in my direction. I leaned over and told the one nearest to me, Sam, that I would be right back. I got up and headed for the restroom and carefully paid more attention to who might have been staring at me, but still I could not spot anybody. There was no one there that I recognized. _Since I am already heading for the restroom, I might as well use it._

When I got out, I looked again for somebody staring at me. I tripped on some old lady's purse. "Crap! I am so sorry. I should have paid more attention. Just daydreaming, ya know? I should have paid more attention, sorry."

"Oh, it's fine, deary. Just watch where you are going next time," she croaked.

"Have a good day."

"You too, deary."

We all finished eating and left. Thor went back to Asgard. But, before he left, he told me that we will be scheduling a friendly duel against each other soon, but he had some matters to take care of first. Tony and Bruce went back to their labs to do science. Rhodey and Sam went back to their homes. Steve, Natasha, Clint, and I went back to the base.

When we arrived, I learned that Natasha released all of the information about both S.H.I.E.L.D and Hydra. I became worried. That meant that anybody could read about me. I hoped that nobody would. They told Natasha that she had to go to a filmed meeting to talk about this little "incident" to the world.

While Clint and Steve were conversing with other agents about Hydra, I went back to my office to pack my things since I would no longer be needing it. I heard a voice behind me ask, "Need help?" I turned around and Natasha was standing in the doorway while holding some big boxes.

"Um, Yeah. Sure. I could use some help," I responded. _Shouldn't she be helping figuring out what to do next with the others?_ She set down her boxes and began putting pictures that hung on the wall into the boxes.

"Why do they trust you? How can they not see that you are one of them?" She blurted as she stopped packing.

I turned around to face her. My eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

"You're one of them. Of Hydra's agents. I knew it the moment I set my eyes on you." She stepped towards me.

I stepped back. "Um. No, I'm not."

"Quit lying."

"But I am not! I don't do that! How could you think-"

She interrupted, "Look, I don't know what game you are playing, but I will not allow you to put us all in danger."

"You don't get to decide who is an Avenger and who isn't. That is up to somebody else." Next thing I knew she punched me in the jaw. I fell back on my as and rubbed where she punched me. "Excuse me?! I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, but you will." She kicked my face.

I jumped back on my feet, leaned forward slightly, and raised my open palms in front of my face. "I am not gonna fight you." My face began to swell slightly and my nose was bleeding from a broken nose.

"I will fight you, though." She tried to punch me again, but I dodged. She swung her legs at mine to knock me back on my ass, but I jumped towards the door.

"Oh, no you don't." She activated the shocking system in her gloves and grabbed my right arm. It did not work as she intended. "Why isn't it working?" She asked angrily.

"It is, but if you let me explain-" She threw me back on my ass and punched me repeatedly.

She broke a couple of my ribs and made my face swell worse until I finally passed out.

Next thing I knew was that I was in a hospital bed and Steve, Clint, and Natasha were talking with the doctor. Steve noticed I was awake and waltzed over to me. "Are you ok? What happened?" he asked.

"I think I will be just fine," I looked over at Natasha just as she glanced at me and then she looked back at the doctor, "and to answer your second question, I am not sure what happened."

Steve gave a friendly smile, "The doctor says that you are gonna be here awhile. Nothing too serious besides the ribs and the nose. They just want to keep an eye on you and make sure that everything else is fine."

"Oh, alright. Thanks for coming by the way."

Steve tapped my shoulder. "Hey, we're a team, remember?"

I laughed, "Yeah, that's true." There was silence for a while until I realized something. "Who's taking care of my puppy?!"

"I can stop by if you'd like for however long you are gonna be here. I only live a few stories above you, right?" he offered.

I accepted, "Oh, thank you! Her name is Jadzia Dax, but I sometimes call her Daxy." I then gave him instructions on what to do and where everything including where the spare, hidden key to my apartment was.

After everybody left to return to their daily lives, I began to worry about what Natasha could and might do to me. _How could she think I am a Hydra agent? I don't do that! I disagree with their beliefs and what they do. It just makes no sense._ Those thoughts kept running through my mind for my whole stay.

I only stayed at the hospital for a week. My bones were almost completely healed and the doctors were surprised that I healed quicker than most do with the injuries I had.


End file.
